Tape roll dispenser



Feb. 1, GUYER TAPE ROLL DISPENSER Filed Feb. 21, 1951 INVENTOR. Reynolds Gal er ATTORNEY United States Patent TAPE ROLL DISPENSER Reynolds Guyer, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Waldorf Paper Products Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application February 21, 1951, Serial No. 212,173

Claims. (Cl. 24255.5)

This invention relates to an improvement in tape dispenser and deals particularly with a means of supporting a roll of tape and providing a means of severing the tape into suitable lengths.

Some rolls of pressure sensitive tape and the like are usually supported in small dispensers which act to rotatably support the tape roll and to provide a means of severing the tape into suitable lengths. Most of these dispensers are constructed of sheet metal and hold their shape due to the rigidity of the metal itself. Because of the shape of these dispensers it has been difficult to economically manufacture a dispenser of paperboard or similar material which does not resist bending in the same manner as metal. The present invention resides in the provision of a simple dispenser which is so designed that it can be produced of paper board.

A feature of the present invention resides in the novel means of rotatably supporting the tape roll. The dispenser includes a generally U-shaped body including a front wall and a pair of generally parallel side walls. A

tongue is foldably connected to one of the side walls and is bent toward the opposite side walls. A second tongue is hingedly connected to the opposite side wall and folds into overlapped relation with the first tongue. The second tongue is provided with side flanges which fold over the side edges of the first tongue to hold the two parts assembled and to hold the side walls of the dispenser in generally parallel form.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a tape roll support which acts to rotatably support a roll of tape or the like and which serves the added purpose of locking the sides of the dispenser in parallel relation. Once the tongues of the side walls are in position to support the tape roll the sides of the dispenser can not operate without flexing the side walls out of their usual flat form. As a result the engagement of the roll support into the core of the roll acts to lock the elements of the dispenser body in proper relation.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the fact that in the preferred form of construction the front wall of the dispenser may be provided with an integral angularly extending flange which tends to assist in holding the walls of the dispenser in parallel relation, and in right angular relation to the front of the dispenser. This flange is substantially the width of the space between the side walls and extends angularly from the front wall so as to hold the front wall and side walls in proper relationship.

An added feature of the present invention resides in the provision of tape roll supporting tongues which contact the opposed side walls and form in efiect a generally triangular support which holds the side walls in properly spaced relationship. As a result the adjacent portion of the side walls may be pressed together by the fingers while removing the tape without bending the side walls into contact with the roll and thereby complicating the task of unrolling the tape.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of apertures in the side walls near the center of the tape roll so as to guide the fingers during the tape dispensing operation. By pressing the walls together at the area of the apertures the necessary clamping pressure may be employed by the fingers without bending the dispenser wall against the tape roll.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of my specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the dispenser in readiness for use.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the dispenser showing the arrangement of parts therein.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the blank of which the dispenser is formed.

Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the cutting element used in conjunction with the dispenser.

Figure 5 is a side elevation view of the cutting element shown in Figure 4.

The dispenser is indicated in general by the letter A. As illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, the dispenser includes a front panel 10 which is foldably connected along generally parallel lines 11 and 12 to side wall panels 13 and 14. The panels 13, 10, and 14, form a generally U-shaped structure designed to stand on edge. The lower edge 15 of the side wall panel 13 is preferably arranged at an acute angle to the fold line 11 so that the front wall It) will incline rearwardly and upwardly in folded condition of the blank. The lower edge 15 of the wall 13 is also preferably notched as indicated at 16 so that the lower edge provides spaced supporting legs or feet.

The side wall 14 is provided with a lower edge 17 which is arranged preferably at an acute angle to the fold line 12. This permits the front panel 10 to slope inwardly to some extent in assembled form of the dispenser. The edge 17 is preferably centrally notched as indicated at 19 to provide a pair of spaced supporting feet.

The center panel 10 may be connected along a fold line 20 to a reinforcing flange or panel 21 which in turn is foldably connected along the fold line 22 to a flange or panel 23. The panels 21 and 23 are usually substantially the full width of the panel 10 so as to extend from one wall panel 13 to the other in set up condition of the dispenser. The panel 21 usually lies flush against the inner surface of the wall panel 10 and is held in this position by suitable means which will be later described. The flange 23 may extend angularly inwardly between the side walls 13 and 14 so as to hold the side walls in parallel relationship.

A tongue 24 is hingedly connected to the side wall 14 along the fold line 25. This tongue 24 is preferably connected to the side wall panel at a point spaced from the connection of the side wall panel to the front panel 10. The tongue 24 is foldable into right angular relation to the panel 14 in erected condition of the blank.

A tongue 26 is connected to the side wall panel 13 along a fold line 27. The tongue 26 is spaced substantially from the front panel 10. The tongue 26 is connected along parallel fold lines 29 and 30 to flaps or flanges 31 and 32 respectively. These flanges 31 and 32 are of a width substantially equal to the distance between the side walls 13 and 14 in erected condition of the blank.

A cutting element 33 is attached to the front wall panel 10 to project forwardly therefrom. The cutting element 33 is shown as including a panel 34 having a prong 35 struck therefrom to project away from the panel 34. In the completed condition of the cutting element the prong 35 includes an impaling portion 36 which extends through the front wall 10 and the flange 21 and includes a clamping portion 37 which extends substantially parallel to the panel 34 so as to hold the panel 21 in side by side relation to the panel 10. Cuts 39 and 40 are provided in the panels 10 and 21 and are so located as to be aligned or in registry when the two panels are folded into surface contact. The impaling portion 36 of the prong 35 thus may extend through these aligned slots 39 and 40.

In the formation of the dispenser, the blank illustrated in Figure 3 is formed and the cutting element shown in Figures 4 and 5 is formed, although the prong 35 of the cutting element usually extends at right angles to the supporting panel 34. The panel 21 is folded against the panel 10 and the prong 35 is forced through the aligned slots 39 and 40. The clamping portion 37 of the prong is then bent to hold the two panels in contacting relation.

The tongue 26 is next folded into right angular relation to the panel 13 and the flaps or flanges 31 and 32 are folded into converging relation forming a generally triangular structure including the tongue 26 and the two connected flanges 31 and 32. The tape roll 45 usually including a relatively solid core 46 is next inserted over the triangular support thus formed.

The body is then folded along the fold lines 11 and 12 and the panel 14 swung toward parallel relation with the panel 13. By folding the body along the fold line 11 to somewhat more than a right angle and by flexing the panel 14 to some extent the tongue 24 may be folded into right angular relation with the panel 14 and inserted between the flanges 31 and 32 and beneath the tongue 26. In this position the edges of the tongue 24 are frictionally engaged between the flanges 31 and 32 and the tape roll is supported between the side panels 13 and 14 in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawlngs.

If desired the panels 13 and 14 may be provided with apertures 41 and 42 therethrough which are located near the fold lines 27 and 25 respectively so as to be substantially coaxial with the tape roll in assembled condition of the dispenser. These apertures are designed to form a guide for the fingers in grasping the dispenser. The tip of one finger may be inserted slightly into one aperture 42 and the tip of the thumb inserted over the opposite aperture 41, thus centering the fingers with respect to the triangular support for the tape roll.

it will be noted that pressure inwardly against the side walls 13 and 14 at the area of the apertures 41 and 42 does not flex the side panels inwardly as the side panels at this point are held spaced by the tongues and their flanges. The flanges 31 and 32 indirectly connected to panel 13 engage against the inner surface of the panel 14 and hold the panel 14 from moving toward the panel 13 sul'ficiently to bind against the tape roll or core. Similarly the tongue 24 of the panel 14 engages the inner surface of the panel 13 and also assists in holding the side walls spaced. The flange 23 may be folded into angular relation to the front wall 10 and frictionally engages between the side walls to assist in holding the dispenser square.

It will be noted that the interengagcmcnt between the tongue 24 and the flanges 31 and 32 holds the dispenser side walls in parallel relation and these side walls can not separate without distorting the side walls. This is particularly true when the flange 23 is folded inwardly, thus preventing the dispenser from folding out of right angular relation.

As indicated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the

side walls 13 and 14 are usually arced inwardly as indicated at 43 and 44 so as to permit a finger to be inserted between the dispenser side walls and the tape to disengage the tape from the cutting element 33. Obviously the tape may be unrolled to any extent and severed at any desired point. The rounded folded edges between the tongue 26 and the flanges 31 and 32 provide a smooth surface over which the core 40 may move.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my tape roll dispenser, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes rnay be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A tape dispenser including a front wall and generally parallel side wall panels foldably connected thereto, a pair of tongues foldably connected to said side wall panels at points spaced from the front wall, flanges on one of said tongues foldable to extend over the side edges of the other tongue, and frictionally engaging the same when folded into converging relation, and a tape roll encircling said tongues and said flanges, said tape roll holding said flanges folded in converging relation on opposite sides of said other tongue, and a flange foldably connected to said front wall and extending between said side wall panels, said flange engaging said side wall panels to hold the same in substantially right angular relation to said front wall.

2. A dispenser including a front wall, a pair of side walls foldably connected thereto and arranged in generally parallel relation, a first tongue foldably connected to one side wall and extending at substantially right angles thereto, a pair of flanges connected to said first tongue along substantially parallel fold lines and extending in converging relation to said first tongue, the ends of said flanges engaging the inner surface of the other side wall, a second tongue foldably connected to said other side wall and folded into right angular relation thereto, said second tongue being engageable between the flanges of said first tongue and frictionally engaged therewith, a flange, foldably connected to said front panel and overlying the inner surface thereof, and a flange foldably connected to said first named flange on said front wall, said last named flange having edges in frictional engagement with the side walls of the dispenser.

3. A tape dispenser including a front panel, and a pair of side wall panels connected to opposite side edges thereof, said panels forming a U-shaped structure designed to stand on edge, a pair of tongues connected to the upper edges of said side wall panels and extending in overlapping relation, a pair of flanges secured to the side edges of one of said tongues and folded over the side edges of the other of said tongues, and a tape roll having a hollow core encircling said tongues and flanges and holding said flanges engaging said other tongue, said tongues and flanges holding said tape roll suspended above the lower edges of said panels.

4. The structure described in claim 3 and including a flange folded from said front panel and engaging said side wall panels to hold the same in substantially right angular relation to the front panel.

5. The structure defined in claim 3 and including a flange secured to the upper edge of said front panel and folded inwardly thereof, and a second flange secured to the lower edge of said last named flange and extending angularly thereto between said side walls to hold the samel in substantially right angular relation to said front pane.

Fox Feb. 20, 1945 Taylor Aug. 19, 1952 

